Would a brain in a bottle?

[Oblivionsdebate]

Could a brain in a bottle that was a wizard prepare its spells as long as it had access to its spell book and mage hand spell?

of course this is an animated brain but still?

[Aubrey the Malformed]

If you are the DM and you are cool with it, why not? It's not like the PCs are ever likely to test the theory themselves any time soon, and if you feel it would create a compelling encounter (i.e. a wizard brain in a jar) I say go for it.

[feytharn]

I might need Eyes. Also, if the Brain doesn't have access to the feats Still Spell and Silent Spell, it is not able to cast spells with verbal or somatic components (mage hand can't do that), so if it retains the intellectual capacity of the original wizard, it might as well find something better to do...

[feytharn]

Aaaand my dot is gone missing again, sniff, I miss it already.

[Aubrey the Malformed]

Eyes aren't a problem (they are attached to the brain, after all) but the still and silent spell thing might be, true. And maybe eschew materials. Maybe a psionic brain might be better, since all of of these issues go away.

[Are]

Make it a variant Brain in a Jar (Libris Mortis), whose spell-casting ability is powered by necromantic energy or some such, so it won't need components.

[Oliver McShade]

You might look at PFphb page 532-538. Intelligent items & Cursed Items in the magic section.

Would use this as a guide line for building your brain in a bottle, what power it would have, what purpose it serves, and what magical powers it could use/cast.

[MordredofFairy]

actually, i'd much recommend looking at the demi-lich if you have 3.5 books available.

It's basically a floating crystalline skull of a very powerful spellcaster.

Reskin that and you have your brain in a jar. Finetune to suit your power level/mobility/abilities and you're good to go.